The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-19
AN INVASION OF LAWYERS.
More Briefless Young Practitioners
Settling in New York Than Ever

Settling in New York Than Ever.
NEW YORK, Dec lit is said by those
who have good opportunities for known
that there are more young lawyers settling
in New York city this winter than ever be-
fore. They have graduated from law schools
all over the country and are losing no time
in getting started. They are attracted to
this city as naturally as flies to sugar. Year
after year they come from towns where they
held up their heads and were seen OF their
| feliow-citizeps, and having reached the
metropo is they disappear. l asked ex-
Judge Granville p. Halves the other day TO
! tell me what becomes of them ALL
| ~ think that most of them secure foot
| ing here" he said ''There are some cases
certainly where young men have tried TO
| practice IN this city, and have given IL up
and gone back home. The big as well as
the lit lawyers are attracted here. The
reason is simple enough. This city grows
more and more to be the business centre of
the country. For that reason alone there
would be more litigation here than any
where else, but incidental to that is
this feature, that great corporations are
conducted from New York wherever the
actual work of the concern may be DONE
For instance, the Standard Oil Company,
several great railway enterprises, many and
many mining scheme, and so on, even to
manufactures. Now. then the lawyers
most profitable business comes from corpo-
| rations, and if their headquarters are here,
so must their counsel be also. And as every
year brings about the removal of the head
quarters of big concerns from other States
to this city, it follows that several success
full lawyers will come too. There is no trou-
BILE with them in getting business, but with
the young man it is exceedingly hard. The
| chief obstacle in his way is the fact that law
cases in New York have gotten very largely
| to drift into the management of few we'll
know firms. The best thing for young
| lawyer to do is to attach himself, if he can,
to some snch firm go in as clerk and trust
| to his ability and shrewdness to attract the
attention of his superiors SO that they will
| eventually turn over business to him. Usual
| ly a young man will do better by remaining
| with a firm of this kind than by setting up
| in an Office for himself. He will rarely car
ry off any of the customers of the offic
| when he leaves whereas by sticking to his
place he is quite likely to get more. OF
course it is no simple thing for a young man
to get chance to work in some well-eStab-
lished Office. ] suppose that could mention
: at least half dozen firms in This city where
an average of one application day is made
| for the privilege of assOciating with them
| in the humblest capacity. When their are
vacancies suitable for newly -fedged law
|
| ers in some relative or personal friend of the
| head of the Office | cannot imagine a
| drearier prospect than that of a young law
yer who comes to New York without friends
| mere He needs backing whatever he
strives to do, whether it be to enter an es-
tablished firm or to seek clients Ii he has
| that backing he may get on very well. But
he must have two qualities in any event:
push and courage. These count much more
| than mental endowment. No one can hope
to succeed without brains, but an ordinary
| degree of talent united to these two gifts
will really secure greater results and bene-
fits than high intellectual ability that
| lacks staying power"
"How long would it be before he would
gain comfortable living, and what are the
prospects for his becoming wealthy"
''As clerk in a law office he could make
only scanty living When he got to prac-
ticing it would depend on the measure of
success, and that might be partly Deepen
dent on good luck. 1t is impossible to tell
what he might make, but the prospects are
| that for time, measured perhaps by years,
possibly by months he will not do any
more than support himself, if he succeeds
| in doing as much as that. As for wealthy
| lawyers there are some, yes, some; but it is
| seldom they have alnassed wealth by the
| law alone. They have used the money that
they have gained by their profession TO get
into something that pays"
"What are the most lucrative kinds of
casesF'
"Those which deal with real estate, such
| as those where titles have to be examined.
Admiralty cases are very good, especially
| when the responsibility of collision is TO
be determined Securing patents, suits that
involve infringement of patent rights, and
other points connected with them make an
| other good field if one can secure enough
such business to make it speciality"
do you think there is an opening for
women in the laws"
mo, do not, as things are at present.
should not think they would have any
probability of success. In short, | cannot
sum up discussion of the requisites for
success in law better than by quoting
Judge Story, who said that the principal
qualifications was 'legsr Not for standing,
but for getting about"
! F. r. BURTON,